Don't Expect Yellowstone Season 5 to Return This Summer
It looks like the production delays, and Kevin Costner's possible departure will prevent the show from airing this summer.
The Paramount+ drama about a family of Montana ranchers trying to protect their legacy at any cost became a huge hit for the budding streaming service and cemented Taylor Sheridan as one of the greatest screenwriters of today.
However, it looks like his empire is crumbling as Yellowstone has begun to lose its viewers, who say that the last two seasons have been pretty bad compared to the first ones, along with its main star — Kevin Costner.
According to myriad recent rumors, Costner is very frustrated with Sheridan's treatment of his character, John Dutton, who hasn't been developed at all in the recent seasons.
The actor is tired of playing the same role year after year, and reportedly, he is looking for a way out to focus his attention on directing and acting in the upcoming movie Horizon.
Despite the persistence of these rumors, Costner is still very much in the game and will definitely appear in the remaining episodes of season five. Just not this summer season.
During a panel at PaleyFest, President of Paramount Network Keith Cox was asked if viewers should expect the remaining episodes to be released this summer, as previously announced, and Cox failed to answer that question with any kind of certainty. However, he was able to give fans a little clarification on the future of Costner's partnership with Paramount.
"What I can say is our star, the face of our show and the executive producer, are very confident he's going to continue with our show," said Cox.
So it seems that fans shouldn't worry about John Dutton being killed off in the next few episodes, as Costner is apparently still bound by some contractual obligations. It's possible that the remaining episodes of season five will be released later this year just to please Costner, who wants to spend more time working on his dream project, Horizon.
While season five will end much later than fans expected, perhaps this will help Yellowstone keep its biggest star.